The 1997 creature feature ‘Mimic’ is the latest horror movie that is getting a TV series reboot. Jim Danger Gray (‘Orange is the New Black’, ‘Hannibal’) is writing, executive producing, and will act as showrunner. Paul W.S. Anderson (‘Monster Hunter’, the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise) will direct the pilot and serve as executive producer, alongside his longtime producing partner Jeremy Bolt. The show will be produced by Miramax TV. Miramax Films made the movie. No network or outlet was mentioned.
Technically, the new TV series is said to be based on the original short story of the same name, written by Donald A. Wollheim, which inspired the film. The story concerns genetically engineered insects who gain the ability to “mimic” their human prey.
Miramax TV’s Head of Worldwide Television, Marc Helwig, declared:
“Miramax TV couldn’t be more thrilled to be in business with Paul Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, and Jim Danger Gray on Mimic. Paul is one of the leading filmmakers of his generation in the world of science fiction, and we are excited to bring a bold new take on this classic title to life in television that will make your skin crawl, scare the hell out of you and speak loudly to these strange times we all find ourselves in. I couldn’t think of a better writer to bring this world to life than Jim Danger Gray, whose work I’ve admired for a long time.”
Anderson added:
“The world of insects has been a long-term fascination of mine. So much strength and organization from such tiny creatures that have existed long before humankind and will survive long after our demise. It’s an exciting world that I’m thrilled to jump into, especially with such great partners as Jim and Miramax.”
Gray explained:
“Mimic explores, on its surface, the idea of insects taking over. Body horror, the anxiety of ‘a bug’ living inside of us, the death of truth, the denial of science and the rise of personal entitlement are at the heart of our show as it examines how society is eaten alive by an invasion that is laying bare its greatest insecurities and failures.”
The 1997 film, ‘Mimic’ was co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. In 2011, he delivered a “director’s cut” of the original. There were two low-budget direct-to-video sequels, which del Toro was not involved with. He is also not involved with this TV series.
The original film was a flop at the box office, making only $25.5 million on a production budget of $30 million. The film starred Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton, Giancarlo Giannini, and F. Murray Abraham. It also featured appearances by one of del Toro’s favorite collaborators, Doug Jones, and Norman Reedus, who went on to fame for portraying Daryl Dixon on ‘The Walking Dead’.
Anderson’s next film, ‘Monster Hunter’ is reportedly finished, but won’t be released until next year, after theaters have hopefully stabilized following COVID-19.
Are you a fan of ‘Mimic’? Are you excited that a TV version is in development?
Source: Deadline
